


“Marketing sucks!” I’d given up. I’m a new author and the most irksome part of the writing/publishing/marketing process has been marketing. Why? Everyone has an idea where I should start. I thought Media Magnetism: How to Attract the Favorable Publicity You Want and Deserve by Christina Hamlett would be just another handsome face tempting me but leaving me dissatisfied. “This book will be the reason why you earn the exposure and return on an investment you seek for your clients. It will be the reason that members of the media will be excited to shine a spotlight on you and your company’s accomplishments. It will be the reason you succeed.” This is the promise of Media Magnetism. Sure it will, I said to myself preparing for disappointment.
So, how do I get the “members of the media excited” enough “to shine a spotlight” on my book? Answer, I have to make it media ready. Media ready? Doesn’t everyone would want to read my book, even Oprah if I could just get to her. Believe me I tried, but zilch, nada, no luck. Sending many copies of my book to her, her friends and acquaintances got me nowhere. Media Magnetism explains why, “…you need to do your homework and demonstrate that your story has significance beyond the interests of just the immediate parties involved.” That’s what Hamlett and the rest of the Faculty are here for – to help me become media ready. Expecting the media to contact me, they have included a script to use to respond to the producer or reporter. How do I get that call so I can use the script?
Utilize ALL the media available to you, not just the “old school” TV, radio and print but “new school,” and often free, electronic media. “…you are the functional equivalent of a walking sandwich board each and every second you connect with the outside world.” Consider blogs, e-mail, chat rooms, Facebook and other social media.
Regardless of which school you are, there are basics that apply to human nature. You are building relationships or romancing human beings and even electronic media has rules of etiquette. Timing is important, so read the newspaper in the morning before talking with a reporter. Know how to tie your product offering to what is trending. There is a even script for using hot information to get the reporter’s interest in the first place. If you want public attention, become an expert in your field. How? There are tips/scripts for doing all of these things.
When the media representative calls with an offer of an interview, be ready for that conversation be it in person, by phone, through e-mail, on the radio or via television. Each discourse has perimeters and these are clearly defined in Media. Great care is taken from guiding the reader to discover what the interviewer wants from them to directions for how to prepare for an interview. Makeup – men, too? Clothes? How should you hold your chin? What if you trip over your tongue? Why is listening important? Why should you have three points you want to make no matter what? My personal favorite is do you know why you shouldn’t drink milk before an interview? What should you do after the interview? These are only a few of the issues discussed.
Is your media kit up to date? There is a list of what to include.
Media has tips for how to work with a photographer/videographer and for how to create a killer advertisement.
Then there is that new school question, how much will you use electronic media? You may be electronically advanced or electronically challenged but Media has useful information for both. For the newbie, understand that like any new endeavor, you must spend some time learning the ropes. Electronic media is inexpensive or free, so it is worth your time learning how to use it. The answers are here. Does social media fit your business? What should you do before you even sit down at the computer to type on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn? What are useful social marketing tools? How do you get your brand on as many sites as possible? How do you use metrics to judge your effectiveness? (They don’t just say you should do this, they give you a list of sites to visit.) Do you have a slow and steady wins the race mentality? (You need it for social media.) Why are quality, original content and keywords important? What’s a hash tag and how do you use it? How about HootSuite? Or TweetDeck?
Do you blog? How can blogging help you expand brand exposure? Did you know you have to respond to others’ blogs in order to be successful? How do you use color, graphics, photos or a TweetMeme button? Why boost your SEO, whatever it is? (Website provided here.) What is RSS and how do you use it?
Are you ready for a website? How do you keep your website fresh? “… you need to think of your website in terms of a car dealership…routinely rotate the vehicles.” How do you design a website that is easy to load, that is functional for laptops and mobile phones, and that is easily accessible? How do you organize a site to provide a better user experience? How do you stress things you want readers to notice? How often should you update it? What are Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing? How do you use online tools to improve your website? (They give you at least six sites to use.) Want stunning fonts? (The information is here.) Looking for the perfect image? (Yes, that is here too.)
Media Magnetism has answers to most of the questions you have including those I have listed here. But, I would have found the book easier to process in two ways. Twenty-four media professionals contributed to this book and they are introduced in the chapter Meet Your Faculty. There is a bio and contact information for each. With the contact information these contributors are easily accessible, which is one of the perks of the book. However, Meet Your Faculty is the first chapter in the book and, although the bios contain needed information, they didn’t grab my attention. I would have preferred that this section be at the back. The book is clear on which writer gave which tips and I was more interested in the Faculty members after I read the book than when I first began. My second concern is that an index would have made finding information easier. I may remember that information on wearing glasses to an interview was on page 124 today. However, three months from now that location would be difficult to retrieve. Media Magnetism is a resource book that will be used repeatedly over time. An index would make it easier to do so.
Hardly a disappointment, how do I know that Media Magnetism: How to Attract the Favorable Publicity You Want and Deserve will work for me? I frequently felt compelled to stop reading in order to do what the authors suggested. For instance, as soon as I read the section on websites, I set the book aside to make changes on my website. Useful as you develop your brand, practical ideas are illustrated with supporting anecdotes, examples, lists, tips and scripts. As Christina Hamlett says on the Media Magnetism website, “Media Magnetism… features the ‘been there/done that’ tips of over 20 industry experts and succinctly covers all aspects of modern media relations.” Like the book with so many ideas, there is an interactive website for more assistance: Now, if you will excuse me, I must begin working my way through the list of tips from industry experts that apply to me.

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